Clip and guard for cigarette package



Nov. 26, 1963 E. KINSELL ETAL 3,112,028

CLIP AND GUARD FOR CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed March 23, 1962 Fig. 2

' /8 I i 236 l6" 4 i I I I I Earl Kinsel/ Charles W. Harris INVENTORS MWWEML United States Patent Ofiice 3" 2,028 Patented Nov. 26, 1963 3,112,028 CLIP AND GUARD FOR CIGARETTE PACKAGE Earl Kinsell, RD. 1, Clarksville, Pa., and Charles W. Harris, 549 Riverview Terrace, West Brownsville, Pa. Filed Mar. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 182,043 Claims. (Cl. 206-41) This invention relates to a novel attachment for a pack age or pack of cigarettes which is such in construction that it serves to removably retain the cigarette package with which it is connected in a garment pocket and at the same time provides a guard or closure for a torn-away corner portion of the package.

Briefly the attachment comprises two component parts; namely, a simple fiat-faced cap which fits nicely and neatly over the open corner portion of the top of the cigarette package and functions as a closure and guard for the ready-to-use cigarettes. This cap is provided on a marginal edge portion with a pair of opposed depending fingers, the latter constituting a clip. These fingers are resilient and one finger extends into the cigarette package and grippingly contacts an interior surface of the coacting wall of the package. The other finger is disposed outwardly of the stated Wall and is designed and adapted to releasably engage a wall of the garment pocket. Both fingers cooperate in applying and retaining the attachment on the package and also in releasably retaining the package in the users shirt or other garment pocket.

The attachment is simple, practical, well balanced in design and appearance, is inexpensive, readily attachable and detachable for re-use on another pack, and is otherwise aptly suited to serve the purposes for which it is intended.

When the corner portion of the pack has been torn off and removed and the attachment is located in its functioning position the closure is held in place by the clip fingers, one gripping the coacting wall interiorly and the other one exteriorly. Then, when the pack is clipped to a shirt pocket wall, the closure prevents cigarettes from falling out of the pack should the user lean over.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing a conventional pack or package of cigarettes and also showing the improved clip and guard attachment and how it is applied to the package for use;

FIGURE 2 is an exaggerated fragmentary view in section and elevation taken approximately on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and which illustrates the manner in which the clip is used to attach the package to the wall of a garment pocket;

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective of the attachment by itself; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing the blank of sheet material from which the clip and guard attachment is formed.

The cigarette package, is a conventional type denoted by the numeral 6, the top thereof being denoted at 8 and the front wall with which the clip means is separably connected is denoted generally at 10.

The attachment is characterized by two component parts; namely the closure or guard 12 and the attaching and retaining clip 14. The closure 12 comprises a flatfaced cap which is rectangular in plan and which is of a size that it effectually covers that portion of the corner of the top 8 which is torn off (not detailed) to expose the cigarettes for use. The clip 14 comprises a pair of companion resilient fingers which are in opposed or overlapping relationship and which assume a position at right angles to the plane of the closure 12. One finger, which may be designated as the inner finger is denoted by the numeral 16 and has its upper end joined by way of a bend 18 to a median portion of one marginal edge of the closure as clearly shown in FIG. 3. The free lower end of this finger is pointed as at 20 to facilitate the step of inserting the finger into the package to contact the interior of the wall 10 as brought out in FIG. 2. It will be noted that this finger 16 is slightly longer than the companion or complemental finger 22. The finger 22 is joined by a bent portion or bend 24 to the same marginal edge of the closure. The upper portion of the finger 22 is directed outwardly and away from the finger 16 as designated at 26 and is joined to the finger proper by way of a bent portion 28. The lower end portion of this finger is also provided with another bent portion 30 and the free end of the finger is flared outwardly and slightly pointed as at 32. By thus bending and shaping the finger 22 it is adapted to be readily attached to and removed from the garment pocket wall 34. Therefore, the straight inner finger 16 may be readily positioned on the interior of the cigarette package and the outer finger 22 located without ditficulty against the exterior surface of the package wall 10. In addition the clearance bends and flared free end of the outer finger may be positioned on the exterior of the package wall. Also and by reason of the shaping of the outer finger 22 it may be readily clipped in position on the garment pocket wall 34.

This attachment is preferably of one-piece construction and may be made of sheet metal or plastic material. A preferred embodiment is that which is shown in FIG. 4 wherein it will be seen that the closure or guard embodies an elongated resilient plate 40 which is folded transversely on itself at an intermediate point in a manner to provide a pair of symmetrical generally square plate members one of which is designated by the numeral 36 and the other one by the numeral 38. The ends of the plate 40, from which the fingers 16 and 22 extend, are designated by the numerals 42 and 44. In the struck-out blank the clip fingers are of the same length but by bending the outer finger 22 as at 28 and 30 this finger is shorter than the inner finger 16.

In practice and assuming that the user has removed the outside wrapper (not shown) from the package or pack 6 and has torn away the lefthand corner portion of the top 8 as suggested in FIG. 1, the attachment may then be readily applied. All that is necessary is to insert and shove the longer inner finger 16 down into the package between the adjacent cigarettes and interior wall surface as brought out in FIG. 2. At the same time the outer finger 22 is, of course, now situated on the exterior surface of the wall means 10. By pressing these fingers fully down the closure means 12 covers the exposed cigarettes and provides an effective guard or cap. Then, the clip means is used for clipping the package into a garment pocket merely by hooking or engaging the outer finger 22 over the wall of the garment package. By incorporating prerequisite tension in the two fingers a highly satisfactory clip is had. It should be noted, in this connection, that the clip performs the function of holding the attachment on the package of cigarettes as illustrated in FIG. 1 and also performs the additional function of clipping the package to the pocket wall and retaining the package in the pocket also preventing the cigarettes from accidentally dropping out.

It is believed that a careful consideration of the description and invention as claimed in conjunction with the views of the drawing will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the invention, the features and advantages and mode of using the same.

- 3 Therefore, a more extended description is regarded as unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For closing an opening in the top of the receptacle portion of a cigarette package, a resilient plate folded on itself and engageable with a cigarette package receptacle top for overlying an opening therein, and a pair of opposed, substantially right angularly extending coacting resilient fingers integral with the free edges of the plate for receiving and frictionally gripping therebetween a vertical wall of the receptacle for removably mounting the plate thereon for sliding movement toward and away from the opening.

2. For closing an opening in the top of the receptacle portion of a cigarette package, an elongated, resilient plate folded transversely on itself at an intermediate point and engageable with a cigarette package receptacle top for overlying an opening therein, and a pair of opposed, coacting, resilient inner and outer fingers integral with the ends of the plate and extending downwardly at substantially right angles therefrom for receiving and frictionally gripping therebetween a vertical wall of the receptacle for removably mounting said plate thereon for vertical sliding movement toward and away from the opening.

3. A closure in accordance with claim 2, said inner finger being fiat for slidable insertion in the receptacle and including a penetrating point on its free end.

4. A closure in accordance with claim 3, said outer finger including an angulated upper portion and further including an outwardly flared, substantially pointed free end portion for facilitating insertion of the receptacle wall and a pocket wall between the fingers.

5. In combination with a cigarette package comprising a receptacle including a front wall and a top, means for closing an opening in the top and for securing the package in a pocket, said means comprising a plate engageable with the top for overlying and closing the opening, and a pair of opposed, coacting, inner and outer resilient fingers on a marginal portion of the plate depending therefrom at substantially right angles thereto and slidably mounted on the front wall for frictionally gripping same for vertically slidably adjustably mounting the plate thereon for movement toward and away from the opening and for engagement with an opposed pocket wall for frictionally securing same between said outer finger and the package for retaining said package in the pocket.

FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland May 17, 1954 

1. FOR CLOSING AN OPENING IN THE TOP OF THE RECEPTACLE PORTION OF A CIGARETTE PACKAGE, A RESILIENT PLATE FOLDED ON ITSELF AND ENGAGEABLE WITH A CIGARETTE PACKAGE RECEPTACLE TOP FOR OVERLYING AN OPENING THEREIN, AND A PAIR OF OPPOSED, SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGULARLY EXTENDING COACTING RESILIENT FINGERS INTEGRAL WITH THE FREE EDGES OF THE PLATE FOR RECEIVING AND FRICTIONALLY GRIPPING THEREBETWEEN A VERTICAL WALL OF THE RECEPTACLE FOR REMOVABLY MOUNTING 